Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, has declared a national day of mourning for the three slain Argentine-Israeli citizens, Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Ariel and Kfir, noting that he wanted the official forensic confirmation before starting the national mourning process, he announced this week.
This was confirmed by both Argentine and Israeli sources, who discussed the matter with the Office of the President.
Also involved in the process are Argentine Ambassador to Israel Axel Wahnish and Israeli Ambassador to Argentina Eyal Sela. Now that the bodies have been confirmed — two of the four released on Thursday belonging to the Bibas children and one that posed as Shiri Bibas, but not a proper match — the nation has launched into national mourning.
El homenaje de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires a la familia argentina-israelí Bibas. https://t.co/mOKBBXb99L pic.twitter.com/nx7QvJ2oCD
— MDZ Online (@mdzol) February 21, 2025
According to Argentine Secretary-General and International Relations official Fulvio Pompeo, Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri ordered several city landmarks to be illuminated in orange, a symbolic gesture and a nod toward the boys’ orange-red hair color.
In Buenos Aires, the Planetarium, the Woman’s Bridge, the Usina del Arte, and the Lezama Palace will be illuminated. The city’s iconic Obelisk has changed to illuminate images of Shiri and her two sons, replacing a photo of Pope Francis, wishing him good health. Now, the faces of the slain children and their mother, whose body is still at large, is illuminated above the city.
On Thursday, Milei traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), meet with officials from the IMF and World Bank, and Elon Musk. Argentine media reported that he is seeking a meeting with US President Donald Trump, with whom he shares a strong support for Israel.
Shiri Silberman Bibas, and in turn, her two children Kfir and Ariel, have roots in Latin America, particularly in Argentina, leading to their dual citizenship. Shiri’s father, José Luis Silberman. was Argentine and had extended his citizenship to the rest of the family. Her mother, Marguit Schneider, who was born in Peru. They were murdered by Hamas in the October 7 attacks. The family’s dog, Tonto, was also murdered.
En memoria de Ariel y Kfir Bibas asesinados por ser judíos y a la espera de que su madre Shiri esté con vida, la Ciudad de Buenos Aires se enciende esta noche pic.twitter.com/9bAIN1fjN2
— Laura Alonso (@lauritalonso) February 21, 2025
Yarden Bibas, the bereaved husband of Shiri and father of Kfir and Ariel, was separated from his family after abduction and spent nearly 500 days in captivity before being released in the latest hostage deal. While in captivity, he had been tortured psychologically and physically with his captors taunting him on the fate of his family.
Many Argentine nationals were among the 1,200-plus dead and 251 kidnapped following the attacks. Nine other Argentine-Israelis were murdered, but due to the children’s young age, their story garnered more international attention.
Renaming a street to honor Bibas family
The country has also taken additional actions to honor the deceased. Within the Argentine political scene, politicians are debating a bill proposed by Buenos Aires City lawmaker Yamil Santoro, who seeks to rename "Palestine Street" to "Bibas Family Street."
On X, he wrote: "We are presenting a bill to rename ‘Palestine Street’ as ‘Bibas Family Street.’ It is essential to remember and honor the victims of terrorism."
Argentine media reports suggest that Milei supports this initiative, but the decision lies with the Buenos Aires Legislature, where there are differing views. Some argue that "Palestine Street" is unrelated to Hamas and that the street should not be renamed, instead recommending that a park or public space should be dedicated to remembering the Bibas children.
— Oficina del Presidente (@OPRArgentina) February 21, 2025
Milei’s relationship with Israel has allowed for rapid policy decisions, including the national designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization. The nation has also allegedly ceased recognizing Palestine as an independent state in United Nations votes, Argentine media reported.
Argentine ambassadors in neighboring nations, including Argentine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Facundo Vila, have received criticism and complaints on Argentina’s position including the proposed relocation of the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, where Ambassador Wahnish is already based.
"It is monstrous that these events occurred in this century and that his death was motivated by a single motive: being Jewish," Milei’s office said. "Argentina demands the immediate release of all hostages and trusts that the terrorist group will be reduced to ashes and will become nothing more than a horrible memory in world history," Milei concluded.
Former Argentine President Mauricio Macri posted on X/Twitter that “the entire world is in mourning” and included a fragment of the video “recorded by the terrorists themselves so that we never forget the fear and helplessness of Shiri and her children at the time of the kidnapping.”
Representatives of the political party, the PRO, condemned the senseless slaughter of the family. Sabrina Ajmechet, a PRO party lawmaker and former critic of Milei before he took office, stated that Kfir and Ariel were “two Argentine babies murdered by Hamas terrorism.” She has strongly condemned the deafening silence of human rights organizations. She noted that worse than silence is those who "defend the murderers of Kfir and Ariel, turning perpetrators into victims."
“I hope that never again, after this, I have to hear that what happens in Israel and Gaza is not our business, not the business of all Argentines,” she added on her X account.
The Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) issued a statement in which it said that the delivery of the bodies "confronts us, once again, with unimaginable cruelty and the darkest and most devastating facet of terrorism and its murderous actions.”
She continued: "I cannot understand the silence of most Argentines on what is happening. I don’t want to think it's because these two babies were Jewish. I would like to understand why people remain silent in the face of such horrific barbarity, such an inhuman act."
“Kfir and Ariel will be a permanent symbol of how far hatred can go, but also of the struggle to defend life and human dignity that was carried out to demand the release of the children who were kidnapped,” added the Jewish center, the target of an attack in 1994 that killed 85 people, which the Argentine justice system holds Iran responsible, which denies the crime.
Now, both Israel and Argentina impatiently await the return of Shiri Bibas' body, which was not returned, instead with an anonymous Palestinian body sent to Israel in her place.